And so it begins: YouTube nukes 30,000 videos

YouTube has removed nearly 30,000 videos after being contacted by the Japan …

Long before Google swooped in to buy up YouTube there were questions about the video sharing site's future. In particular, concerns relating to copyright infringement have persisted: can YouTube be sued, will they be sued? Will a sanitized YouTube be interesting? The recent acquisition by Google all but ensures that the site will remain under the infringe-o-scope of copyright holders for the near future.

In the first major mass removal of content in its history, YouTube has removed nearly 30,000 videos after being contacted by a number of Japanese rights-holders, according to the Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC). The group says that its members found 29,549 videos on YouTube that contain unauthorized materials taken from Japanese sources, including movies, music videos, and television. Japanese broadcast giant NHK was among those seeking the removal of materials.

A spokesperson JASRAC said that they were also considering petitioning YouTube for a better screening process. Although YouTube is legally obligated to remove infringing material when notified, some copyright holders have expressed irritation at the notion that they need to police YouTube themselves.

The spokesperson also suggested that the number of videos to be removed is meant to send a message that this is not a minor problem. Although the DMCA provides safe harbor protections for YouTube inside the United States, rights holders are still concerned that the posting of unauthorized material could hurt their businesses even when they are vigilant and police a site like YouTube.

Ken Fisher / Ken is the founder & Editor-in-Chief of Ars Technica. A veteran of the IT industry and a scholar of antiquity, Ken studies the emergence of intellectual property regimes and their effects on culture and innovation.